A Little Rebellion Now and Then
In case you were wondering why we can be so – well, rebellious, please see the message below.
“Societies exist under three forms sufficiently distinguishable. 1. Without government, as among our Indians. 2. Under governments wherein the will of every one has a just influence, as is the case in England in a slight degree, and in our states in a great one. 3. Under governments of force: as is the case in all other monarchies and in most of the other republics. To have an idea of the curse of existence under these last, they must be seen. It is a government of wolves over sheep. It is a problem, not clear in my mind, that the 1st. condition is not the best. But I believe it to be inconsistent with any great degree of population. The second state has a great deal of good in it. The mass of mankind under that enjoys a precious degree of liberty and happiness. It has it’s evils too: the principal of which is the turbulence to which it is subject. But weigh this against the oppressions of monarchy, and it becomes nothing. Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem. Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government, and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs. I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. 1 Unsuccesful rebellions indeed generally establish the incroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions, as not to discourage them too much. It is a medecine necessary for the sound health of government.” – Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, January 30, 1787 2
‘Tis better to live in dangerous freedom than in quiet servitude.
When you all get together for the holidays, please lift a glass to those whose foresight was deep.
Category: 2020 Election, America, Historical
I will settle for the “dangerous freedom” that has served us well.
The key words here are “us” and “I”
“I” get to live free because of “us”.
^THIS!^ Spot on ‘beans. I hold that is just about too late for a “little rebellion” and getting to the point where it is going to take a lot of rebellion to insure the continued freedoms that most of us grew older with. It is so ironic that the demonrat party fought so hard against a “strong central government” 160 years ago and is now hell bent for leather to be the strong central government. And BOTH parties seem to want the same thing…unlimited power for them and total control over “We, the People.” I also believe that is why Trump was such a danger to them. I was not a rabid Trump supporter, but did vote for him twice. No matter your opinions of him personally, the empirical data will show that his policies were well on the way to putting the power back into the hands of the people and the Country as a whole back on the right track. I do miss the gas and food prices of a year ago…and the fact that you could go into just about any type of store, feel safe while there, and find a wide variety of products on the shelves. I made mention from the beginning of his term that he should put his damn phone down, lock up Bitchlery, and drain the swamp. It is a real tragedy that we no longer have true statesmen (women) who can put their goals of power aside and do what is best for the country. What few that have shown up of late have either sold out to the power brokers or their voices have been squelched by them. We have been weakened so much by the domestic enemies that the foreign enemies are emboldened to push their goal of world domination. Pitchfork? Tar with feathers? Rail? Rope? “Unsuccessful rebellions indeed generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people…” See also “Reconstruction” or “Bayonet Rule” 1865-1877. “…honest…so mild in their punishment…” How’d that “…with malice toward none…bind up the Nation’s wounds…” that Old Abe proposed work out? Not too… Read more »
“There is no greater indictment of leadership than the failure to prevent a war.” – Roh-Dog
I won’t say what should happen to a leadership that loses one, but I will press the cumulative L’s: Poverty, Drugs, ‘Climate Change’, Coof, etcetcetc
Step 1 establish term limits in the Congress to include
Maximum years indiviual can serve in each house and collectively in both houses
Maximum years can be a member of the professional staff of either house
Maximum combined in all three
Step 2 Amend Constitution making legislative Branch susceptible to all rules/laws enacted to apply to them
Sounds great to me, I’m all for Congressional Term Limits, why not limit Senators to only two six year terms, Congressmen to six two year terms and if one goes from one Chamber to the other their total cumulative time between the two cannot exceed twelve years. Making Congresscritters abide the laws they pass? Hell yeah, that too!
“Politicians and diapers both need to be changed often and for the same reason, – Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Eliminate or reduce the pensions while you’re at it. They should have to live like the rest of us, y’know.
Ex, I believe some of what you suggest has already occurred for new Congress critters as of a certain date. Something like what happened to the Civil Service work force with CSRS and FERS.
I believe the golden parachute has gone the way of
CSRS and new members have FERS and TSP. The cut over is 1984 election.
https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/ac0d1dd5-7316-4390-87e6-353589586a89.pdf
Government officials and their goons running all the agencies have zero fear for any of their actions.
They openly celebrate it.
And franchise each other in largesses, depriving a Good-Natured people of Liberty by way of theft from Our treasury, bestowing titles and awards upon themselves for committing ‘acts of public good’, all while rubbing Our noses in the fetid turd they have created.
If you dare complain, first you are an anachronism worthy of pity.
Then an perverse ideologue who needs attenuation.
Finally an enemy non-combatant time bomb who is deprived of Rights, again ‘for the public good’.
I can’t say what step we’re on but that fker is slippery.
OH, surely you guys have heard that old aphorism about “pride goeth before….”
We must be patient.
“Somebody” woke me up at an un-Godly hour of the morning today.
No breakfast, no coffee, no gravy, no nothing… some kind of stammering on about something.
There was turbulence in my degree of liberty and happiness.
I remember when Navy Gals brought a smile to my face first thing in the morning… just sayin.
Sorry about that. I blame the phone. I think it wants to be elsewhere.
You could at least whisper some sweet nothings first thing in the morning.
No worries.
You are incorrigible. Please keep it up. Thank you.
Dave always did like you the best.
*grin*
I said I was sorry and blamed the phone for self-dialing. Now I’m stuck with pancakes and sausage gravy.
I was gonna make pancakes….